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Horace
Biography * Quintus Horatius Flaccus was born 65 '''B.C.E'''. in Venusia, Italy—died Nov. 27, 8 '''B.C.E'''., Rome. * He was regarded as an outstanding Latin lyric poet and satirist under the emperor Augustus. * The most frequent themes of his Odes and verse Epistles are love, friendship, philosophy, and the art of poetry. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2017). ''Horace | Roman Poet''. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Roman-poet [Accessed 29 Oct. 2017] ''Ars Poetica'' '''Background and Historical Context''' The ''Ars Poetica'' was written somewhere around 10 B.C.E. though the exact date is unknown. This poem was written during the age of Augustan Age, associated with the Emperor Augustus, as it was written during his reign from 27 B.C.E.- 14 C.E. Augustan Age will become a term to describe the second of three literary eras within Neoclassical Period in English literature. These works emphasized the importance to society of order, balance, propriety, civility, and wit (Murfin, 32-33). Murfin, Ross C., and Supryia M. Ray. ''The Bedford glossary of critical and literary terms''. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Though Horace comments on poetry, this version in the ''The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism'' is in prose. The textbook acknowledges that ''Ars Poetica'' is a long conversational poem about poetry. Translating it to modern English while still keeping its verse form is difficult because Horace moves uses verbal association and rhetorical tone, rather than logical argumentation.Thus, a prose selection was selected (132). Leitch, Vincent B., editor. ''The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism''. 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Co., 2010. '''Key Words and Terms''' '''Deus Ex Machina''' - Literally translated from Latin as "God from the machine" is a reference to the Greek practice of a divine character being "lowered from above the stage to conveniently resolve the action at the end of a play" (138) Horace makes reference to such a practice when he states "there should be no god to intervene" (138). '''Decorum''' -''' '''"The discernment and use of appropriateness, propriety, proportion, and unity in the arts, whether in painting, sculpture, or poetry" (133). '''Satyr-Plays''' -''' '''"[T]hese featured Silenus and satyrs in burlesque episodes of myth: style and meter were those of tragedy, not comedy. The piece was commonly performed as a fourth play after three tragedies" (138). '''Old Comedy''' -''' '''Initial phase of ancient Greek comedy (c. 5th century bc). Encyclopædia Britannica. (2017). ''Old Comedy'' [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Old-Comedy [Accessed 02 Oct. 2017]. Aristophanes was the most important playwright of Old Comedy (139). '''Key Quotations''' "The point is, whatever you're making, it should be unified and coherent" (134). "When you write, choose material to match your strengths . . . The writer who selects according to his abilities will lack neither style nor a clear arrangement" (134). "Just as woods change their leaves in the fullness of the years, falling one by one . . . so perish words with age, after flourishing and thriving when newly born, like youths (135). "It is not enough that poetry be noble: it should impart delight, and transport the listener as it likes. As people's faces respond with laughter to those who laugh, so do they cry in response to those who cry. If you want me to cry you must first cry yourself" (136). "Nor would Latium have greater might in virtue's field or arms' renown than with its tongue, if all our poets were not repelled by labour and patience with the file" (140) "Correct writing finds its beginning and source in discernment" (140). "From time to time a piece which has splendid maxims and a fine moral tone, even though lacking charm and without weight and craftsmanship, will give more pleasure and interest to people than verses devoid of substance, and musical trifles. To the Greeks the Muse gave talent and a full-throated utterance" (140). '''Discussion''' Poetry's Uses Of all the authors discussed in English 661, Horace is perhaps the one most concerned with how we derive pleasure from poetry. Though, in the section "''Choice and Handling of Myth,''" Horace focuses on the poets handling of famous myths. He makes several salient points about the formation of characters in literature. In stating, "Let Medea be proud and indomitable, Ino full of tears, Ixion, treacherous, Io never at rest, Orestes full of gloom," Horace expresses a need for characters to remain "true to form" (124, 125). Limiting Poetry A noteworthy component of this piece is that Horace is taking some thinking from Plato. For example, when it comes to what should or should not be added to plays, poetry, dramas, etc, it is all about what Horace wants to see. Several times he gives advice to people writing these things and says, "Do these things and you'll make me happy." It's utopian, but unoriginal. What he is trying to do is keep people in a box that they can't step out of without being disregarded. While Horace is very much focused on Plato's ideas of what should and shouldn't be included in poetry, he also carries some of Aristotle's ideas regarding categories and classification. Horace insists that writers follow the structures and characteristics that were set in place long ago by the Greeks. He believes firmly that playwrights should have the "ability [and] knowledge to keep the duly assigned functions and tones of literature" (124). With that kind of perspective, there is little room for exploration or creativity, even of language. He also argues that, "everything must keep the appropriate place to which it was allotted" (124). Both of these quotes demonstrate Horace's emphasis on categorizing written works and following predetermined rules, which shows a blend of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy. '''Major Criticism and Reception''' From The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism: "His practical approach to poetry as a craft, or ''ars, ''contrasts markedly with the more theoretical bent of his predecessors, especially Aristotle and Plato" (131). It is an argument for poetry as a craft, rather than just a mark of genius's work or madness. As art it has rules and convention that required both instruction and practice. His work continues to influence poets and literary critics for thousands of years. One of Horace's famous sayings is that poems should both "instruct and delight" audiences. "Horace critics have complained that the long epistle is disorganized, that it sometimes sacrifices sense for the sake of wit, and that it lacks grandeur, being preoccupied with audience response. Since its appearance, however, the ''Ars Poetica ''has appealed to those literary critics interested in codifying the principles of poetic composition, in arguing the relative merits of craft and genius in poetry, and in debating whether the primary goal of literature is pleasure or instruction" (133). '''Related Works''' * Aristotle. ''Poetics. ''Translated by Richard Janko. ''The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism'', edited by Vincent B. Leitch, W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. * Kilpatrick, Ross S. ''The Poetry of Criticism: Horace, Epistles III and the Ars Poetica''. 1990. * Frischer, Bernard. ''Shifting Paradigms: New Approaches to Horace's "Ars Poetica". 1991'' * Plato. ''Republic''. ''The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism'', edited by Vincent B. Leitch, W.W. Norton & Company, 2010, p.p.45. References